SEARCH TO END HOME HOODOO CONTINUES AFTER LATE LEVELLER
Reading Women 1 Everton Women 1
READING WOMEN manager
Kelly Chambers was left to rue a missed opportunity for three points after the Royals were pegged back by a late Everton equaliser.
Rachel Rowe's first-half strike was cancelled out by a 77th minute Nicoline Sorensen equaliser as Reading had to settle for a point.
Rowe scored the opening goal of the game, in the 35th minute, but the Royals couldn’t hold on after a spell of Everton pressure finally paid off to share the points.
Reading stay in sixth position in theWomen’s Super League table, behind Everton on goal difference and have nowgone seven matches at home since their last victory.
“Everton turned it into a different game in the second-half,” said Chambers.
“They played a lot longer and more direct, they threwa lot more bodies forwardwhich put us on the back-foot and make it hard for us to get into the sort of rhythm and flow wewere in during the first-half.
“In the first 45 minuteswewere fully in control and should have been further ahead at the break.
“The girls were outstanding trying to defend it’s just a shamewe didn’t defend the one that inevitably drewEverton level.”
Kelly Chambers' sidewere looking to build after last weekend's spectacular awaywin at
Manchester United.
The Royals had the first big chance of the matchwith five minutes on the clockwhen
Amalie Eikelandwas slipped through into the box by Danielle Carter, but Everton goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela made a super stop before the Toffees defence got organised to block Rachel Rowe's followup.
Reading keeper Grace Moloneywas called into action to dealwith a cross as she beat Valerie Gauvin to the ball and plucked the ball out of the airwith relative ease.
Emma Mitchell then burst down the right and put in a dangerous delivery, Korpela punched the ball away but only to Carter, who looked poised to shoot but slipped at the crucial moment as the chance passed her by.
Eikeland then tried her luck from the edge of the box as she looked to curl it into the bottom right corner but Korpela made a simple stop down lowto her right.
Reading came inches away from taking the lead in the 25th minute when Rowewhipped a beautiful delivery deep into the box from a 40-yard free-kick to find Eikeland at the back post, but shewas denied by the post aftermeeting the ball at the back post before Megan Finnigan hooked the ball off the line and over for a corner.
An excellent display of pace saw Eikeland break through a handful of Everton playerswide on the left and burst into the box, and the Everton keeper could only punch the ball out to Rowewho latched onto the loose ball and volleyed into the empty net to give Reading the lead after 35 minutes.
Rowe continued to pose a threat every time she ventured forward and drilled a lowcross to try and find Tash Harding in the middle, but a small deflection took the ball away from the Reading skipper.
Everton came forward in search of an equaliser in the second half and had Reading under the cosh in the first 15 minutes of the second-half. But the Royals stayed resolute in defence as Cooper threw her body in theway of Christiansen’s shot to protect her goalkeeper.
Everton finally snatched an equaliser having pressed all half, in the 77th minute.
A cross to the back post found Nicoline Sorensen unmarked, who looped the ball overMoloneywith a header to level the match.
The hostswere pinned back for much of the second-half and struggled to get forward, despite Rower trying her luck from distance in the 88th minute, which forced a save from the keeperwho didwell to hold on to the ball.
Cooper had a brilliant chance to snatch the points in stoppage time but flicked the ball justwide of the post after Jess Fishlock's freekick found her in the middle unmarked.
Reading are away from home in their next fixture, against Bristol CityWomen on Sunday, March 7.
READING WOMEN: Moloney, Mitchell, Cooper, Bartrip, Woodham, James, Fishlock, Eikeland, Rowe, Harding (c), Carter
SUBS: Nayler, Leine, Roberts, Childerhouse,
Flores, Bruton
EVERTON WOMEN: Korpela, Moe Wold, Turner, Sevecke, Christiansen, Lehmann, Emslie, Stringer, Scott, Gauvin, Finnigan
SUBS: Pedersen, George, Boye-Hlorkah, Magill,
Sorensen, Raso, Graham, Clemaron, Clinton GOALS: Rowe 35', Sorensen 77'